The Starliner is designed to transport up to seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, to low-Earth orbit destinations such as the International Space Station. Being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, OPM has already begun shipping its OXFAB production parts for installation.

OXFAB components, which are delivered by OPM’s Aerospace and Industrial group, utilise advanced materials and high performance additive manufacturing technologies. The Aerospace and Industrial division established a set of robust performance attributes verified in an exhaustive B-Basis database, also develop in conjunction with NASA.

Boeing selected OPM as a result of the company’s demonstrated ability to continually produce highly specified aerospace parts that consistently perform in demanding space environments.

OMP Boeing Company OXFAB part

“From our earliest discussions with Boeing, they stressed the need to see significant reductions in weight, cost and lead times in order to consider replacing traditional metallic and composite parts with a new technology for their space programme,” said Lawrence Varholak, President of OPM Aerospace and Industrial. “We are proud to be developing and delivering OXFAB technology to the highest standards.”

A recognised leader in advanced materials science, OPM first began to incorporate 3D printing techniques into its manufacturing processes in 2006. Since, it has developed a range of 3D printing and high performance additive manufacturing technologies that deliver fully functional end-use products to the biomedical, aerospace, and industrial markets. Founded in 2000, the company’s focus has been on high performance polymers, and OPM has developed a range of unique, enterprise-level additive manufacturing solutions utilising its proprietary OXPEKK polymer formulations and additive manufacturing processes.

OPM’s Aerospace and Industrial group also use these 3D printing techniques to deliver its OXFAB production parts for a range of highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defence applications. OXFAB structures offer significant weight and cost reduction, defined in a set of specified performance attributes in the exhaustive OPM B-Basis database.

Claim your free subscription to TCT today!

The TCT Community is the largest knowledge transfer network for innovative design and manufacturing technologies. We ensure that you’re at the cutting edge through our magazine, newsletters and live events.